IFPI Welcomes Danish Court Ruling On Internet Piracy

by Ulrika Lomas, for LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

21 February 2006

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry last week welcomed a decision by the Danish Supreme Court confirming that Internet Service Providers can be obliged to terminate the internet connections of customers engaged in internet piracy.

According to the IFPI, the case, involving two individuals operating illegal FTP servers, will set an important precedent for the responsibilities of ISPs in cases involving illegal filesharing.

ISPs may now face action by copyright owners, requiring them to stop providing internet services to customers that use those services to distribute copyright material over peer-to-peer networks. The decision is based on EU copyright laws and will have implications across the European Union.

The Danish Supreme Court's ruling earlier this month ended a long-running legal battle between telecommunications company TDC and Denmark's AntiPiracyGroup, which represents copyright owners from the Danish music and film industries.

The ruling will oblige TDC, and other ISPs, to act immediately when they are notified that one of their customers is using their internet account to infringe copyright. In the event of non-compliance, copyright owners will be able to ask the court for an injunction against the service provider.

IFPI General Counsel and Executive Vice President Geoff Taylor observed that:

"This decision is good news for artists, record labels and copyright owners across the EU. It makes it clear that, in future, ISPs will be expected to play a much greater role in fighting copyright theft on the internet. It sends a strong message to ISPs across Europe."

Recommended